


Suicidal

by lucky2400



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-09 14:37:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17408765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucky2400/pseuds/lucky2400
Summary: “Because I’m Jerome Valeska and you’ve caught my attention.” He said, before standing up and going back to his friends.‘Jerome Valeska’... Why did that name sound familiar? I quickly searched his name up on Google. The headlines shocked me.“Jerome Valeska, leader of the Maniax rises from the dead. His followers wreak havoc on the town.”“Jerome Valeska’s followers take over news station. Casualties ensued.”“Holy shit.” I don’t even notice the words coming out of my mouth. I’d heard about this guy on the news all the time. A murderer, and an insane man who killed without a thought. And he was interested in me.If you're wondering about the tags there will be warnings in chapters with severe shit going down.





	1. Chapter 1

“You need to hand over your phone for your time here. There are forms you can sign that will ensure it returns to you after your brief month here.” The doctor said.  
“Not a chance in hell. In fact, you’ll give me the wifi password here.” I said, pulling out my phone and preparing to type in random numbers and letters.  
“Excuse me?” The Doctor with a massive stick up his butt said.  
“You’re running an insane asylum in Gotham. You need all the positive numbers you can get. I come in here for a month and no suicidal attempts boom. Instantly something you can brag about to the city. Or, if perhaps your deluded mind aspires to yet again take my phone away from me, I will kill myself in your care and you will need to prepare a pretty good statement about how you let a suicidal girl wind up dead in your asylum. So I will not ask for the wifi password a third time. I’m assuming its ArkhamWifiStaff that gets you any internet connection?”  
After an entire minute of silence, the doctor staring at me slowly told me the password. Then he instructed a guard to take me to my cel- room. Launching myself onto the rusty frayed bed I quickly inspected the room that I would inhabit for the next month.  
“Pretty shitty,” I muttered before scrolling through memes.  
“Yeah it's not much in the way of decorating, but it has so much unused potential.” A voice said, laughing hysterically at the end of his poor attempt at initiating conversation.  
“Shut up. I don’t fucking care.” I said, seeing the Pikachu meme and internally laughing.  
“Really? And here I hoped for a fun neighbor. Instead, they sent me a boring plain Jane.” The loonie next door said.  
“Congratulations. You are the 7th person I’ve let down today. You won an award. It’s the ‘you need to shut your fucking mouth and let me live my life in peace’ award.” I said, finding the energy to fake enthusiasm for my mockery.  
“Somebody’s not very happy. I’m just wondering what you’re in here for, is it murder? Ooo, or cannibalism?? Arson?” He kept talking but I tuned him out. I would rather sit on my phone with him droning on than actually listen and respond to that crazy bitch.  
A sudden buzzing sound made me jump. My cell door opened up, and a guard walked in.  
“Lunchtime lady. You might want to leave your phone so as not to upset the other guests.” He said before gesturing to the door.  
“The other loonies can kiss my fucking ass. I’m on a 30-day promise not to kill myself because of this phone. If any of the other psycho killers want to stab me over it, I don’t give a damn.” I stated, before walking out into the hallway and going to the lunchroom.  
The lunch line was long, so I figured I’d just skip it anyway. Plus the food looked like literal shit. I decided to sit at an empty table and look at memes instead of actually facing my mental illnesses like a real person.  
“Is this seat taken?” The crazy neighbor asked.  
“Yes,” I said, without looking up.   
“What about this one?” He said, scooting over one seat.  
“Fuck off.” Was my only response. He sat down right next to me, his tray clicking loudly against the metal table.  
“That's very rude. Now, I’m trying to be a nice person by reaching out and getting to know you and you respond with cruel words of anger. I think there's something bothering you, only you’re too afraid to recognize it.” He said, and in an instant, several other patients sat down at the table. Most were large men who looked like professional wrestlers and shit.  
“I’m only here for a month, I’m not looking to make friends, I’m looking to survive. Now take your posse and go away.” I said before returning to my phone.  
“Well, we just want to help you survive the month. Without my help, you could easily die in here.”  
“You’d kill me?” I said, looking at him.  
“Only if you continue to be so hostile towards me and my ‘posse’.”  
“Fuck you, fuck your fake ass bitch friends, and slit my throat motherfucker because I’m in here on suicide watch you dumb slut. You just offered me a way out of my bullshit contract by threatening me.” I said standing up.  
“I didn’t see that coming.” I heard him say as I walked away. I sat at a table with only one man eating alone. I don't think he even noticed me sit, not that I cared. He seemed like the crazy old man who believes that aliens abducted him.  
“I’m getting the feeling that you don’t like me.” My neighbor said. I finally took a second to look at him.   
Around his entire face, there was scarring, some even circled his eyes. It looked like he took a razor to his entire face because his mouth was cut to seem much larger than it was. He was tall, and his hair was strikingly orange. His appearance did surprise me, but it would take a lot more than that to truly get a response out of me.  
“I don’t like most people. What makes you think you’re different?” I said, finding yet another loss meme. It was a well-done meme, I’ll give them that.  
“Because I’m Jerome Valeska and you’ve caught my attention.” He said, before standing up and going back to his friends.  
‘Jerome Valeska’... Why did that name sound familiar? I quickly searched his name up on Google. The headlines shocked me.  
“Jerome Valeska, leader of the maniax rises from the dead. His followers wreak havoc on the town.”  
“Jerome Valeska’s followers take over news station. Casualties ensued.”  
“Holy shit.” I don’t even notice the words coming out of my mouth. I’d heard about this guy on the news all the time. A murderer, and an insane man who killed without a thought. And he was interested in me.


	2. 2

He left me alone for the rest of lunch. Alone with all the thoughts swirling through my head. No way I’d already gotten on a huge criminal’s radar. It’s impossible. I’ve only been here for four hours. The chances are… well, I guess it's possible seeing as most of the people committed here are criminals.  
I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. If he sees me falter, he’d know how to break me down. I just need to survive 716 more hours in here. Easy peasy.  
*One hour later*  
I was ready to kill myself again, which is surprising because my therapist said 90% of the time I’d be too lazy to actually attempt.  
Jerome had literally sent everyone to bother me during free time. I had to deal with a large man who had the mind of a child, a lady who believed a doll was her dead child, and many other loonies he sent over to try and get a reaction out of me. I dealt with each one, coming quite close to killing some of them, and quite close to killing myself. The last man he sent over had a bag over his head.  
“What's your deal, bag man,” I asked, refusing to look up from my phone.  
“At least show some respect. Jerome’s taken interest in you and so have I. It would be wise to have the Scarecrow on your side.” He said, and I was still more interested in the death of the Kowalski meme than whatever crazies Jerome had sent.  
“It doesn’t matter to me.”  
“My fear gas can destroy a person’s mind. Seeing the things they fear most, well, it can make people crazy.” He said, almost in a threatening manner. I looked him dead in the eye.  
“Unless your fear gas can physically manifest the fear of abandonment and intense self-hatred you don’t have anything particularly scary. Well, I guess spiders, but that's gotten better over the years.” I said, before returning to my phone. He slowly left in defeat, and I couldn’t help but feel proud. I’d taken some of the worst Jerome could throw at me and come out victorious.  
“I can’t help but notice you’ve caught someone's eye.” A voice said from behind me. A few seconds later a familiar face sat before me. I couldn’t recall his name though…  
“Oswald Cobblepot.” He said, and I knew who he was.  
“The mayor with a background in crime, Oswald Cobblepot?” I asked, knowing the answer.  
“Yes, though I didn’t come here to discuss me. I came to discuss Valeska. I was where you were just a few months ago. He saw something new to play with. Just give into him already. It will make your life a whole lot easier.” He said, and I wondered if he was yet another pawn in Jerome’s game to win me over.  
“Let's make one thing clear. I don’t care. I’m gone in a month anyway, and within a week he’ll probably forget about me. Actually, you know what let me make one thing clear.” I said, my anger quickly sweeping me away. I stood up on the table.  
“I DON’T CARE. FUCK OFF.” I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth as a makeshift megaphone. Sitting down again, I returned to my Instagram feed.  
“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Just so you know, he won't give up. He bugged me for a few weeks.” Oswald said, before taking his leave.  
“What passion, what a display, what rousing words you spoke,” Jerome said, sitting in front of me. Slamming my head into the table I groaned.  
“Leave me alone! I just want to watch the Pikachu meme die in a blaze of glory and then yeet myself off a bridge.”  
“I don’t think you’re even speaking English, and I don’t want to leave you alone in your misery. I think there's a reason you’re depressed, and I’m going to figure it out and free you.” He said, and at the end, he burst into laughter.  
“Yay!” I feigned enthusiasm to mock him, before returning to the text post I was reading.  
“I don’t appreciate your tone.”  
“And I don’t appreciate--” I was cut off by a guard calling my name.  
“Lucira Ricole. A visitor for you.”  
“I shall continue this conversation later. For now, go fuck yourself.” I said, taking my leave.  
The second I walked into the visitor room, I was filled with relief. It was Janna my sister, and she brought our cat. He was a Siamese with bright blue eyes. I loved him more than I’d ever loved a person really.  
“Lightsaber! Oh, you brought him! How is my little baby? Oh, you are too precious.” I said, picking him up out of the cat carrier. My sister just laughed as I cooed over him.  
“I figured you could use a friend. Sorry, Dad made you do this.” She said, and the tone became more serious.  
“I understand why. After losing mom, I’d had a difficult time, but it destroyed him. He’s never been the same. Never. So now, almost 8 years after I can understand why he’d overreact to my… well. I just got some new meds so hopefully, that helps. I’ll be home in a month. Isn’t that right Saber? Oh, you are just going to grow so big without me there. Aren’t you?” I said, kissing my cat on his forehead.  
“Well, I don’t know how often I’ll be able to get in here to visit, but I’ll try to come as often as possible. Don’t take it out on dad. Please promise me you won't, because he’s just trying to do what he thinks is right.” She said, and I sighed.  
“I will try to understand his point of view. So I take it you’ve got a meeting to go to?” I said, handing Saber back to her. He looked sad when Janna put him back in his box.  
“Yes, I’ll try to visit tomorrow. Oh and before I forget the doctor let me bring you this.” She said, handing me a book. It wasn’t just any book though, it was Mom’s old book.  
“Thanks Janna. This visit helped a lot.” I said, unable to take my eyes off the book. I was escorted back into the asylum, and I couldn’t wipe the small smile from my face. My sister knew me all too well. Mom’s book and my little Lightsaber are all I need to cheer up sometimes. I didn’t even realize Jerome had started talking to me again. I was too wrapped up in my wave of happiness.  
“Yoo-hoo. Anyone home? Earth to Lucira!” Jerome slammed his hand on the table and I jumped to reality.  
“What.”  
“I believe we have a conversation to finish and a conversation about the visitor that made you smile so much.” He said, eyeing up my book. Mom’s book.  
“Oh, I don’t remember our previous conversation, and the visitor was absolutely none of your business,” I said, my hands brushing over my mom's initials on the cover.  
“Look at me when I’m talking to you please.” He said, reaching for the book. I pulled the book into my chest.  
“Don’t touch my book. You can insult me, degrade me, refuse to leave me alone, but I swear to God if you ever touch my book I will skin you. Leave me alone.” I stated, my anger taking over.  
“Now that's what I like to hear.” And with that sentence, I realized I’d played right into his hand.


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, it will get a bit non con and violent in this chapter.

I was back in the cell-- room. Room. Lights didn’t go out for a while yet, so I opened Mom’s book.  
It was her favorite, Versailles. All about the castle with the golden gates, and also entirely in French. I learned French from Mom, and when she was gone I continued my studies in it because it helped me feel closer to her. The door suddenly opened taking me out of my thoughts. Jerome walked in, and the guard closed the door behind him.  
“Hey what the hell! He can’t be in here!” I shouted at the guard who had already left.  
“Actually I can and don’t bother with him. I’ve got damn near everyone in this place under my spell. Plus we didn’t get to finish our conversation, because you avoided me all throughout dinner.” He said, stalking over to me. I stood up and looked him in the eye.  
“Get out.” I pointed to the door.  
“Well, the guard locked the door, and he’s not going to be back for a while. Think of this as personal time to get to know each other.”  
“Why can’t you just leave me alone,” I whispered, hardly able to get the words out. He brought his face right next to mine.  
“Because nobody ever really wants to be alone.” His words brushed against my ear, and I let a small gasp escape my lips. He turned my head to face him and left his hand on my chin. His eyes stared right into mine. I knew what was coming, and yet I didn’t do anything to stop it.  
His words might have been sweetly romantic, but his kiss was filled with anger and fury. Unlike most of my other kisses, he completely asserted his dominance and pushed so hard I backed into the wall. I tried to lessen his kiss by giving myself some space, but he grabbed both my wrists and slammed them into the wall. He interlocked our fingers as he completely backed me against the wall. He broke off the kiss and I gasped for air. He brushed against my cheek before dipping down into my neck. I’d seen enough girls walking around school with hickies to know what was going on.  
“Jerome, stop.” I managed to say before crying out in pain.  
“Did you just bite me?” I fought against his grip.  
He didn’t respond, and he was clenching my hands so much they hurt.  
“Jerome, stop!” I repeated, with more intent now that I was angry. This was enough to get him to look me in the eye again.  
“I think I liked it more when you didn’t talk.” He said, pulling me from the wall and forcing me down on the bed. He grabbed both of my wrists with one hand, straddled me, and kissed me once again. I didn’t think it was possible for his kiss to get even rougher, but I was wrong. He ran his hand through my short hair before finding a grip on the back of my head, forcing me to deepen the kiss. I was on the verge of tears when the door slammed open.  
“Alright, Valeska your hour’s up. It's time to return to your cell.” The guard said, and Jerome chuckled before brushing his hand over my cheek.  
“See you tomorrow, Lucira.” He whispered into my ear before getting up and exiting.  
Once the door slammed shut my breathing got out of control, and I silently let the tears fall. I would never make it the entire month. He would surely break me. 

 

I don’t remember falling asleep, but soon enough I was woken up by the guard announcing breakfast. My neck hurt and I knew it was because of Jerome. My wrists also had bruises forming because of him.  
No. I wasn’t going to let him walk all over me. I’m better than this, if I can take my mother dying for this country, I can take Jerome Valeska.  
Of course, the moment I sat down with my food, he appeared right next to me. He sat closer than he should have and brushed some hair out of my face. His hand lingered longer than it should have and I repress the urge to bash in his brains.  
“Last night was so much fun… I can't wait to see how tonight turns out.” He said, stealing my milk. I realized he was just pushing my buttons because he wanted me to react. He wanted something more than a boring plain Jane.  
“Eh. I’ve had better.” I said, eating my cereal. Refusing to let him get to me, I focused more on how disgusting the food was. Before he could even respond, I looked at the guy across from me.  
“Is the food always this bad?” I asked, and he stared at me, then at Jerome. He got up and walked away before anything could happen.  
“Weird flex but ok,” I muttered to myself before stuffing my face despite the taste.  
“You’re playing mind games aren’t you? Trying to convince me that you’re not going to change no matter what I do… Aren't you? Oh… I knew I liked you for a reason, you’re smart and tricky.” Jerome said, smiling in a way that made me uncomfortable. Instead of reacting, I just shrugged.  
“I’m just saying my ex’s kissed a lot better than you do,” I stated while pretending to be more interested in the oatmeal than Jerome.  
“Game on.” He whispered in my ear before departing.  
‘You dumb fucking slut you just dug yourself into a deeper hole.’ I thought, before shaking that out of my head. I can’t afford to think like that, I need to focus on the good things. Like Jerome has left me alone for now.  
For now, lasted until after dinner. I wondered if he was playing mind games with me and trying to psych me out by not interacting with me. I could hardly lie still while scrolling through my phone. When I heard the door open I figured it was Jerome. Unfortunately, I was right.  
“Last night it was only an hour. Now I’m here for three.” He said, and a wicked grin spread across his face.  
“Interesting,” I said, without lifting my eyes from my phone. He walked over and took my phone from my hands and put it on the nightstand.  
“Well. That was rude.” I said without looking at him.  
“I think we’ve got more important things to do. We can finish up what happened last night.” He said, and I knew it was only going to get worse.


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major warnings this chapter gets intense.

As he sauntered over I felt my heart rate double. Trying to hide that fact, I sat up and looked as uninterested as possible. That didn’t stop him from holding my head in his hands, and staring me right in the eye.  
“I can see your fear. It’s in your eyes. You put on a brave face but you are terrified aren’t you.” He said, in a voice I never expected to hear from him.  
I couldn’t work up the courage to respond, so he leaned down and kissed me. This kiss was different than last nights. He had passion, yes, but it was a gentle passion. I placed my hand on his chest, because it felt natural, and he ran one hand through my hair again. Then he slowly adjusted so he was over me on the bed once again.  
“Better than your other kisses?” He whispered, breaking the kiss for a moment.   
“I-I don’t know. I’d have to--” He cut me off by returning to the kiss, this time a little angrier, and I suddenly knew what had been bothering him today. He was jealous.   
My hands instinctively went to his hair, which surprised him, but I think he saw it as a sign for more. He slipped one hand up my shirt, and I was no longer in a position to push him away. I tried to shove his hand off, but he grabbed both of my wrists again. Even though I fought against it, he was ultimately stronger.  
His kiss turned more violent and I felt him push harder on my already bruised wrists. He wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me closer to him. I did the last thing I could think of. I kneed him where it hurts.  
He recoiled instantly, and I used that as an escape. I backed myself against the far wall and raised my arms ready to fight back. He sat up in the bed slowly and started laughing.  
“There's the fire I knew you had, but you will regret that.” He said, and his laughter died. Jerome slowly moved closer to me, and each step made me quake with fear.   
When he got close enough I threw a punch at him, and he easily dodged it. I tried again, and this time he grabbed my arm and used my momentum to get me off balance. He grabbed my waist with his free arm and pulled me back into his chest. He twisted the hand he held behind my back, and it became the only thing separating my back and his chest.  
“I will always win against you. You cannot beat me.” I felt his breath rustle my hair, and blow past my ear sending shivers down my spine. New plan.  
I stomped on his foot and immediately threw my head back against his. I heard the crack after I felt the burning pain spread throughout my head. I stumbled away and realized what a horrible plan this was after being unable to see straight. I probably just gave myself a concussion.  
“You bitch! I was going to be gentle, but now I’m not holding back.” He said, and I stumbled as I tried to turn around. Everything was spinning, and I felt myself falling.  
“I- uh.. .I’m uh…” I felt Jerome catch me, and try to lift me upright. As soon as he let go I started falling again.  
“I don’t feel so well.” was the last thing I remembered saying.

I woke up in the infirmary with a massive headache. I could barely make out the person in front of me.  
“Oh my god… my head.” I groaned, shielding my eyes with my hand.  
“The guard said he heard a crash and found you passed out on the floor. Is that what happened?” The nurse asked, and I remembered the entire night.  
“It… It was almost lights out so I… my book, I was setting my book on the dresser when I… I think I stumbled and that's the last thing I remember.” I said, knowing better than to try Jerome.  
“Well, I’m not sure if you’ve got a concussion, so I’m going to keep you here for a couple of days. No screens, and no reading as long as you’re in here. Otherwise, you lost quite a bit of blood, some skin split, but with plenty of rest, you’ll be good as new. It’ll probably be 5 days at least. ” She said, and I felt relief wash over me. No Jerome for a few days. How lucky was I.  
“Luckily you won’t be alone, Jerome broke his nose on his nightstand. He’ll be in here for two days.” The nurse commented before leaving. I didn’t know whether to laugh at his expense or cry because now I would be completely confined with him for two days.   
“I’m not apologizing,” I said. He was silent for a while, contemplating his response.  
“I didn’t ask you to.” Now it was my turn to contemplate. I slowly sat up, ignoring the pain from my head. I turned to him and hid a small laugh as I saw his face. He had tape all over his nose, and the bruising was bad. Although considering the shape his entire face was in anyway, it could have been worse.  
“Why,” I asked.   
“Why what?”   
“You know what.”  
He sighed, obviously discontent with my answer.   
“Many reasons. Most being, I’m insane.” He said, and taking a deep breath I stood up. My head was swirling, and I felt like puking when I did, but I made my way over to Jerome’s bed.  
“What are you doing, the doctor told you to rest.” He said, in a condescending tone.  
“For every shitty answer you give me, I punch you in the nose,” I said, looming over him. He sat up and faced me. He was so tall he was almost at my level while sitting.  
“Would you really?” he asked, his eyes almost gleeful.  
“Give me an answer again and find out.”  
“Such spirited words. I like that. Unfortunately, I also like my face, so I’ll say this. I annoyed you trying to get a rise out of you because let's face it, you were so boring when you came in. My original plan the first night was to just annoy you for an hour or so, but then I just couldn’t help myself.” As if any part of this was amusing, he burst out laughing. I punched him right in his broken nose.  
“What the fuck! I gave you my answer.” He said, and I shrugged.  
“Listen to directions. I said, for any shitty answer, not for any false answer. Doesn’t matter if it’s the truth, it matters if it's was an answer I could live with.” I said, and pain slowly crawled over my body. Slowly sitting down on the nearest bed, my vision went in and out.  
I don't remember falling asleep but the next thing I knew, I was waking up to two nurses scrambling over me.  
“She’s waking up. Lucira are you ok? Can you hear me.” One of the nurses called out.   
“Yeah.. what happened?” I asked, and the nurses sighed.  
“You overexerted yourself. Jerome said you stood up. You were supposed to rest in bed all day. Why did you get up?” She asked.  
“I was trying to call you. I wanted my mom’s book, I know I’m not supposed to read, but I wanted it here for comfort. I didn’t know when you’d be returning.” I said, and the nurse sighed.  
“Well, I’ll see what I can do. Otherwise, if you need anything you press this button.” The nurse pointed to the side of the bed.  
“You just rest,” the other nurse said, “Lunch will be here shortly.”  
The two nurses left and I shifted in the bed.  
“Didn’t you learn not to get up? I figured after you passed out for two hours you’d have learned not to go walking around.” Jerome said.  
“I’d do it again to punch you,” I said, turning away from him.  
“Your words wound me. It’s a shame we can’t repeat last nights events until... Well, whenever you get out.”  
“Oh? You refuse to rape me in the medical wing?” He was silent for a minute.  
“Too many variables.” He said without elaboration.


	5. 5

For the two days, Jerome was in medical, he was quiet. For me, the silence was a blessing. It gave me time to think about possible ways out.  
When he was escorted back into his cell, I immediately started my plan. Pulling out my phone, even though I wasn’t supposed to, I called my sister.  
After two more days, the nurse cleared me to go back. The second she left I sent my sister a text.  
As I was walked over to the cafeteria, I saw Jerome’s face light up. The poor fool didn’t understand what was about to happen.   
“Hello, Jerome. Haven’t seen you for a few days.” I said smugly before sitting in front of him.  
“Really? It seemed like more. Now that you’re back--”  
“Oh.. see about that. You might have friends inside here, but I’ve got friends on the outside,” I saw the guard and my sister walking over. “I hope you rot in here forever you sack of shit.”  
The second I got out I gave my sister a hug.  
“Lucira… I don’t know what happened in there, but you getting injured was enough leverage to get you out. Of course, you need to stop at the hospital to make sure you don’t have any head trauma, but Dad and I are leaving tonight for a weeklong trip. If you need to talk about anything please try to wait until we’re back.” She said, and I nodded.   
The hospital cleared me, and Janna called me a cab home. She didn’t want to be late for the plane, so I was left all alone. I hadn’t been alone for a while, but after two hours alone in our huge house, I didn’t feel right. Sitting on the couch in silence, I felt all the emotions from the past week come over me.  
I was finally safe enough to let it out, so for a long time, I just cried into the blanket. By the end, I was so dehydrated I swear I could’ve drunk a lake. I desperately needed somebody to talk to. Then I remembered somebody else who was terrorized by Jerome. Somebody I could speak with.  
Climbing into my car I told the chauffeur the address. It took a few minutes because he lived out of town but we got there eventually. I walked up to the door, and just before knocking, I froze.  
What was I doing here? Showing up unannounced at 7 PM? Would they understand? Regardless, I needed to talk to somebody.  
After three swift knocks, I waited. I waited so long, I wondered if anybody was home. I felt my confidence waver and felt my feet dragging me back to the car. Then I heard the door creak open.  
“Hello, Miss. Is there something I can do for you?” The tall well-dressed man asked. I remembered him from pictures and a few parties. It was Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's butler.  
“I um… I’m sorry to just show up like this, but my name is Lucira Ricole and I… I um needed to talk to somebody about… about…” My confidence plummeted and I felt my breath start to shake.  
“About?” He asked, which didn’t really help my confidence.  
“Jerome Valeska.”  
It was enough to get me through the door. Alfred led me through the house, which was at least twice the size of my own. He stopped and opened the door, gesturing for me to wait outside. I heard him say something, but I couldn’t make out what.   
When the door opened again I was face to face with Bruce Wayne.  
“Come in. Feel free to sit down.” He said, and I walked into what I could only assume was his study. There were two couches in the middle, and I sat down on the closest one.   
“So, you wanted to talk to me about Jerome?” He asked. I nodded, before taking a deep breath.  
“It's a long story, and I feel like it’d be best to start at the beginning,” I said.  
“Well, I’ll go make you some tea,” Alfred said leaving the study.  
“So after my mom died, my whole family went through problems. My dad was never the same, my sister threw herself into her schooling and work, while I just had my life fall apart. The depression that came ruined the relationship I had with my boyfriend, although I was only 15 so it wasn’t a real relationship. That only caused me more problems with depression, and a few problems with the new relationship I started last year. A few months ago my new girlfriend broke up with me, and it was mutual, we both are good friends now, but when my dad found out about it, he didn’t take it well. That combined with my depression led me to attempt suicide about two weeks ago. But that's not what I’m here to talk about.” I said. The door opened and Alfred placed a tea set on the coffee table. After we both grabbed the tea, I continued.  
“In response, he signed me up to go to Arkham Asylum for a month, and that is how I met Jerome. He was in the room next to mine, and he spent every second of it disturbing me, no matter how hard I tried to avoid him. It doesn’t stop there, he had the staff wrapped around his fingers and he managed to get into my room after hours and he… he…” I couldn’t find the words to continue. I didn’t even realize I had started crying until I felt a tear drop onto my hand. I could tell Bruce didn’t quite know how to console me, so I changed the subject.  
“I um.. Thought that since you’ve dealt with him before, I just wanted to know how you got through it. How you kept moving on.” I brushed away some tears.  
“I had friends and family to help me through it. I also had the satisfaction of punching him. Repeatedly. In the face.” He said smiling, and I laughed.   
“If you want to stay here tonight, you can. We’ve got a great security system, and plenty of open rooms.” He said, setting his tea down.  
“Are you certain? I wouldn’t want to intrude.” I said, setting mine down as well.  
“Nonsense, Alfred can show you to your room.” He said, and I stood up.  
“Thank you,” I said, before following Alfred to a guest room.


	6. 6

After taking a quick shower I came out to find some clothes and a note on my bed. 

Something came up, we should return shortly, help yourself to anything in the kitchen.  
-Bruce.

I smiled as I put on the shirt he gave me. It was just a grey tee, and a pair of jeans, which were almost my size exactly. I looked around the room once more before exiting to find the kitchen.  
It took me five minutes to find the kitchen, and I knew I’d have to ask for directions once they got back. I looked around and found what I needed to make pasta. It was quick and simple, easy to make and easy to eat. I had cleaned all the dishes when I saw an apron in the corner. An idea came into my head. If I could find everything I needed, I would make him a pie or two to show my gratitude.   
It wasn’t easy finding everything I needed to make a pie, and I wasn’t familiar with the kitchen, resulting in a few flour piles on the floor, but after about two hours the two apple pies were ready to go in the oven. After cleaning up my entire mess, I wondered what was keeping Bruce out past 10:30. I was quickly wrapped up in dealing with the pies to think much about it though. I had just found the pie cutter when I heard noises down the hallway.  
“Bruce? Alfred?” I called out through the doorway. Shrugging I walked out to meet them, only to run into a short-haired girl wearing all black. I jumped when I saw her and she looked ready to fight me. It was when Bruce and Alfred walked in that I realized I had the pie cutter in my hand, which could be seen as a weapon.  
“Selina! What’s going on here!” Bruce said, and it took me a moment to realize he was addressing the girl.   
“That's what I want to know!" She yelled back. I shoved the pie server in the apron pocket.  
“I was getting ready to cut the pies I made for you guys when I heard something down the hallway. I’m sorry to have frightened you, Selina was it? I’m Lucira Ricole.” I said, offering my now empty hand. She glanced at Bruce before shaking my hand.  
“Selina Kyle.” She responded curtly. Sensing the tension in the room, I figured it would be best to change topics.  
“Well, why don’t we go eat the pies while they’re still warm?” I said, walking back into the kitchen. Everybody followed me in, and I removed the pie server from my pocket.   
“You didn’t have to make this,” Bruce said, calmer than when he walked in.  
“I stress bake. And clean, oh boy I made such a mess. It wasn’t much trouble at all, baking is one of the only things I’m good at.” I said, serving everyone some pie. Selina still looked at me like I was about to stab her, but judging by her looks, I’d assumed she grew up by never trusting people. I could tell she was a street kid just by looking at her.  
They all loved the pies, and Selina eventually warmed up to me. It was fun sitting and chatting with her and Bruce until we realized it was 1 in the morning. She left, and Alfred refused to let me clean up the dishes insisting I go to bed. When I left the room, I wondered if Bruce realized I saw the bruises forming on his knuckles, as well as the mud that streaked his black shoes, pants, and shirt. It was suspicious, but I figured everyone has their secrets, even me.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up to my phone ringing. Groaning I rolled over to grab it, forgetting I wasn’t at home I managed to fall off the bed. I sighed, as I tried to find my phone from the floor, and answered it.   
“Hello?” I asked, running a hand through my bed head.  
“Lucira, I was just calling to make sure you were ok. You didn’t respond to the texts I sent.” Janna said. I recognized her because of her voice.  
“I lost my phone. I just had a hell of a time trying to find it when you called.” I said, standing up. There was a knock at the door.  
“Hang on a minute,” I said into the phone.  
“Is everything okay Miss?” Alfred asked, probably worried about me falling out of bed.  
“Yes Alfred, everything is fine. I just fell trying to find my phone.” I responded.  
“Breakfast will be ready soon.” He said before I heard him leave. Sighing, I returned to my sister.  
“Sorry about that Janna,” I said.  
“Who do you have over?” She asked immediately, and I shook my head.  
“I’m actually staying at a friend's house. I couldn’t stand being so alone.” I said, and she sighed.  
“Well, I’m sorry you had to impose on somebody else. If you didn’t get my texts then you’ll know that we have to stay overseas a little longer. Oh, and Dad wants you to go to the board meeting that Bruce just called because he is overseas.” She said, and I groaned.  
“Hasn’t he ever heard of Skype? He keeps pressing me to join you guys even though I’m not sure I want too.” I said, searching for an outfit to wear.  
“Well, it's not like you’re enrolled in college anywhere, and you don’t actually have a job… He’s just trying to look out for you.” Janna said before I heard her mumbling to somebody else.  
“I have to go, sorry sis. Say hi to Saber for me.” She said before ending the call. I set the phone down and sighed. The maids were taking care of Saber currently, while I sat in another person's house bitching about Jerome.  
Changing my outfit, I went out to eat breakfast. Bruce wasn’t up yet, though I knew it was because of what had happened last night. Whatever that was.  
“Is there going to be a board meeting today?” I asked Alfred, and he nodded.  
“Yes, it's going to start at one today. Why?”  
“Because my father is making me go. Is it possible for me to get a quick ride home? I’ll need to prepare for the meeting.” I said, and Alfred nodded.  
“Why don’t you finish breakfast and gather all your things while I tell Bruce we’ll be gone for a while,” Alfred said, and I ate the rest of the meal. Grabbing everything I’d brought with me I went out to the car.  
It was only 10 when I got home. I could hear a maid in the distance and wandered around looking for Saber. He was sleeping, so I just gave him a kiss before going to my room.  
I found the suit Janna gave me when she first wanted me to go to a shareholders meeting. I never went, but I’d kept the suit just in case.   
It didn’t look bad on me, at least, not if I combed my hair for once, and added a little makeup. When the clock struck 12 I was ready to go, and I got in the car.  
Staring up at the building, I lost my confidence. It towered above me. Sighing, I continued walking forward. The receptionist directed me to the elevator. Of course, it was busy, and I had to wait.  
“Fancy meeting you here.” A voice called, and I saw Bruce walking toward me. I smiled at him, and finally, the doors opened. We both stepped into the elevator.  
“No Alfred?” I asked once the doors shut. He shook his head.  
“Alfred’s just parking the car. He’ll be there before the meeting starts. I was wondering, if you wanted to, um, see a movie with me tonight? I wasn’t sure what movie you’d like to watch or where you wanted to go, but we could discuss that after the meeting.” He said, and I smiled. He ran his hand through his hair, and I could tell he was nervous.  
“I’d love to.” Was all I got out before the doors opened.  
“Ladies first.” He said, and I stepped out.  
“I’ve uh... Never actually been to a board meeting before. You don’t happen to know where I’m supposed to go?” I turned and asked him. He was smiling like an idiot.  
“Yeah, just follow me this way. It’s not too far.” He said, leading me down a few corridors. Once we got there I was going to talk to him about tonight, but my fathers assistant dragged me away, and people started talking to Bruce.  
“Miss. Ricole, I have your dads laptop here. Your sister mentioned you weren’t enthusiastic about coming, so all you really have to do is record it for your father. If you want to take some notes, here is a notebook and pen for you. Don’t worry, as long as you record it, you don’t really need to take notes. I’ve heard these meetings are just really boring anyway, so yeah. Relax, and you’ll do great.” She said, handing me everything. She showed me to my seat, and I sat down. There were five other people in the room already, and most were judging me. I don’t know if it was my short hair, or if I’d met those people before and couldn’t remember their names.  
“Nice to finally see you at a board meeting, Lucira.” The older man across the table said. He was familiar, but I couldn’t remember his name.  
“Well, it's nice to see you again too, but I’m only here because Dad’s on a business trip. You know how those can be.” I said, and a conversation sparked up between the other table members. I slowly removed myself from the conversation and started up the laptop. I saw Bruce smiling at me through the windows, and I quickly smiled back.  
Once the board meeting started, I slowly stopped paying attention to anything that was said and focused on myself. This was a time for me to think about what was happening because there was definitely something going on with Bruce. But was it fair to Bruce for me to fall for him? Me, a literal walking mess. Though this was the first time in months where I felt happy without finding an obscure Pikachu meme I hadn’t seen before. When I was talking into the early hours of the morning with him, I actually carried a conversation without trying to. It was effortless.  
After the whole fiasco with Jerome, was I ready to go out on a date? Wasn’t I ruining any possible chances I had of having a successful relationship with anybody by dating them too soon after everything that happened?  
But then I looked over at Bruce, and all my fears just melted away. He was so serious during the meeting, and he was talking about important stuff, but then he’d flash me a smile, and I knew I couldn’t help myself. Unlike Jerome, Bruce was a nice, understanding person who wouldn’t rape me.   
The meeting was over soon after I concluded I would definitely go on the date and see where things go from there. Everyone slowly cleared out of the conference room, leaving only Alfred, Bruce, and me in there.  
“So Alfred, don’t you have something else to do right now,” Bruce said, an obvious ploy to get us alone.  
“No, not unless you want me to bring the car around Sir.” He said, though whether he was oblivious or being a huge cockblock was unknown.  
“Yes, go do that Alfred,” Bruce said, and Alfred left the room.  
“Well, about that date tonight, I was thinking I’ll go home and get changed, you can pick me up about 5 and we can get something to eat before we decide what to watch?” I said, and Bruce smiled and nodded.  
“Yeah, that sounds great. Do you want to eat anywhere specific?” He asked, opening the door for me.  
I stepped out of the room while I pondered possible places to go.  
“Well I’m really good with eating anywhere, so wherever you want to go is cool with me,” I said as we headed for the elevator. He smiled and started talking about this new French restaurant, but I got so caught up in how cute he looked I didn’t hear anything about it.  
“That sounds amazing,” I said as we entered the elevator. He smiled at me and for a brief moment, we both looked into each other's eyes.   
As soon as the doors closed, we grew closer together, until our lips locked together. Unlike Jerome's passionate kiss, Bruce was gentle, almost hesitant. Like I was fragile and would break into a million pieces. I laughed as I deepen the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck. He was taller than me, but not towering over me.  
The doors opened, and we separated immediately. I pulled my suit jacket down and he cleared his throat.  
“After you.” He said, and I exited first.  
“I’ll uh, see you tonight then.” I turned back to him.  
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He responded, before going to his car.


	8. 8

I still felt giddy from the elevator kiss, even though it was 4:30 and I was getting dressed for our date. I’d finished my makeup and was now deciding between two outfits. One was a nice black shirt paired with a super cute pink and black skirt, along with all of my jewelry, and the other was my black cocktail dress. I liked the cocktail dress more, but it seemed a little too dressy for the occasion. I figured I should dress down if we were going to the movie theater.   
Bruce knocked on my door twenty minutes later. I was glad I went more casual because he was just in a black button-up and a nice pair of jeans. Of course, his watch probably cost more than my entire outfit, but that's the perks of being a billionaire. He opened the passenger seat of the car for me, before getting in to drive.  
The restaurant was cute, and Bruce got the best seat in the house. The waitress was nice, and the food was good.  
“So now that we’ve had some dinner, do you have anything in mind for the movie?” He asked.  
“I’ve heard plenty of good things about Into the Spider-Verse. Plus John Mulaney is in it, and I think he’s hilarious,” I said, “But I’m down for watching whatever you want.”  
“Into the Spider-Verse has been on the top of my to watch list. I just wasn’t sure you would be into it.” He said as we left the restaurant.   
The movie was great( yeah go watch it its so beautiful) but I didn’t want to cut the evening short. We decided on a walk because there was a park not five blocks from the theater.  
“Let's just walk there, it's a great night,” I said.  
“Are you sure? Because your heels are pretty big.” He said, and I remembered I was wearing my five-inch wedges.   
“I wear heels all the time. Besides, it’ll give us more time to talk.” I said as we started walking.  
“Sounds a little serious.” He said, trying to make light.  
“I just want to make sure you’re okay. I noticed your knuckles the other night, and I--”  
“That was nothing, I just had my hand where it shouldn’t have been and managed to jam it. Nothing serious. I’m sorry if it worried you.” He said, and I smiled at him. I didn’t quite believe his story, but he obviously didn’t want me to know about anything.  
“Well I’m glad it wasn’t, it’s probably just me being paranoid about everything… Speaking of which, I’m going to tell you something and you need to laugh like I had said something funny.”  
“Okay?” I couldn’t tell if it was an answer or a question.  
“I think there’s somebody following us. We took three right turns and I can still hear the thick boots a few feet behind us. Nobody takes three rights in a row unless they live in New Jersey.” I said, before bursting out into laughter. He laughed along with me.  
“I was getting suspicious too. I just didn’t want you to get worried.” He said.  
“That’s so sweet of you. I’m pretty sure it's not paparazzi because they’d be snapping photos or something. I don’t want to be overly paranoid about Jerome, but…” I trailed off because I couldn’t think of the right words to say.  
“But you don’t want to be taken by surprise either. It’s okay, nothing will happen while I’m here. Do you want to go back to the car?” He asked, and I nodded. We turned around and headed back to the car.  
We pulled up to my house, and I hesitated.  
“Would you be okay if I slept over again? I just don’t want to be alone, especially if we were just followed.” I said, and Bruce smiled at me.  
“Anything to help you.” Was his response.  
“Do you want to come in while I get my stuff? I don’t want you to wait out here just for me.”  
“Of course. And you can introduce me to Saber, it is Saber right?” He said as we both walked up to the door.  
“Yes, it… is that window smashed?” I said, seeing the broken glass.  
“Lucira, get back to the car. We’ll call the police from my place.” Bruce said, and he grabbed my arm. He was putting himself between me and the danger.  
“But I…” My mind was racing, and I couldn’t speak clearly. I got into the car and Bruce sped off to his house.  
“We can go shopping tomorrow for some new clothes, and I assume you have anything important in your purse.” He said though it was vaguely a question.   
“I’ve got my phone, my portable charger, my wallet, and my favorite book, so I guess so,” I replied, still deeply unnerved that somebody would break into the house.  
“Alright, is there usually staff there?” He asked, and I nodded.  
“Yeah, usually there are two maids in the house at all times,” I said as we arrived at Wayne Manor. Bruce called Jim and explained the situation. After a few minutes, he hung up.  
“Alright, Jim is sending men to your house, and he’s coming here to question you.”  
It took a few minutes for Jim to arrive, but when he saw me, I could tell he was panged with guilt.  
“Lucy, I didn’t realize it was your house… It’s been a while.”  
“It has, hasn’t it James. We aren’t here to discuss the past. We are here to discuss my house. It was broken into, and I believe we were followed tonight.” I said, rather upset at facing Jim. He had been on tour with my mom when she died. He just reminded me of her death every time I saw him.  
“Is there anyone you know who’d be out to get you?” He asked, and I looked at Bruce for reassurance. Bruce nodded, telling me it was okay to talk to Jim.  
“Valeska. Jerome Valeska.”


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Graphic warning

It took a few minutes to explain my connections to Jerome, and Jim was completely out of questions within ten minutes. He had me call his phone, so he could contact me when they knew more.  
Bruce gave me a hug when Jim left. It surprised me, but I slowly wrapped my arms around him as well.  
“I hate to do this, but something urgent came up. Alfred’s already in the car waiting. Are you going to be okay if you’re here alone for an hour or two, or should I call Jim back?” He said, and I felt crushed. I knew he had to go, so I nodded.  
“Yeah. It's just for a few hours, I can live with that.” I said, smiling as he left the room.  
It took me two minutes to regret my answer, so I went to the kitchen and started baking some cookies. I managed to get halfway done with the batter when I knocked it over. Batter ran all over the floor, and the metal bowl did the metal bowl noise on the ground. (I spent so long trying to figure out how to describe the whoooo-whooo-whoo-who sound, but I couldn’t)  
“Shit,” I said, taking off my shoes and socks so they wouldn’t get dirty. I heard the door creak and froze. I grabbed the rolling pin and wacked whoever was there. They hit the island with a crack, but before I could see who it was, there was a thin layer of smoke and they were gone.  
Coughing I started thinking I was delusional. My vision was getting blurry, and I felt my heart rate increase. I didn’t realize anything was wrong until I tried to clean the batter up. All along my arms were bleeding wounds, the kind that’d kill you in a second. But I was still here. I saw a bullet hole through my heart, and my breathing got out of control. There’s no way. I should be dead.  
I started cleaning up. I can’t focus on being unable to die if I’m too busy cleaning. As soon as everything was spotless I started making cookies. In my panic, I still managed to make some kick-ass cookies. When that was done I started cleaning the entire kitchen, before pacing anxiously. Then it hit me.  
“That bitch’s fear gas… The one from the asylum. It's all in my head, it's not real.” I said, and a quote my mother once told me came to mind.  
“Bravery is not the absence of fear, it's the overcoming of it,” I said, and to make sure I believed it I repeated it over and over. “Bravery is not the absence of fear, it's the overcoming of it. Bravery is not the absence of fear, it's the overcoming of it.”  
I felt everything slowly go back to normal, and the wounds disappeared. Sighing, I picked up a clean knife ready to return it.  
“Amazing. Not many have been able to overcome my fear gas. It’s such a shame Jerome’s claimed you.” A masked voice called out. It was that creep, Jonathan Crane. I turned around and he was already out the door. Taking a deep breath I sank into the nearest chair. If there were any more surprises tonight I’d have a heart attack.  
“Surprise! I’m back a little early. And guess what’s happened.” Bruce said, walking into the kitchen. I jumped up with the knife, ready to attack. When I realized it was Bruce I dropped the knife.  
“Lucira, what's wrong?” He asked.  
“Scarecrow… he was here and he sprayed me… I was terrified, and so I stress baked and cleaned. I cleaned everything. Then I realized what was happening, and I managed to break free from the visions. By then he was gone.” I left out any mention of the creepy shit he said because I didn’t want to talk about that.  
“Well, don’t worry about that. We are traveling to Metropolis tonight, and we are going shopping all day tomorrow. It’ll give you time away from this city, and an opportunity to get a dress for the masquerade in two days.” He said, and I looked at my phone.  
“It's 11 o'clock. We’d get to Metropolis at one in the morning. What respectable hotel is open that late?” I said, and he smiled.  
“The hotel chain Wayne Enterprises owns that I called and made sure would have somebody there just for us tonight. If you want to talk about everything on the way there we can, but we should be going like right now.” Alfred walked into the kitchen with two bags packed.  
“Let's get a move on.” He said. I fell asleep in the car, so it only seemed like a few seconds before we were in Metropolis. The desk clerk was more than happy to take our bags and hand over all keys to the rooms.  
The rooms took up half of the top floor, used only for VIP’s like Bruce. They both were like massive apartments and had connected doors. The first thing I did was open the door between our rooms.  
“These hotel rooms are massive,” I said, and Bruce laughed.  
“The benefits of being a billionaire.” He said, but by then I was focused on how amazing the bed was. I hadn’t realized just how exhausted I was, and soon I was waking up to something shining through the window. Stupid birds, or airplane, or whatever it was. (heheheh references) I rolled out of bed and saw I was the first one up. Grabbing the bag with clothes I turned to the bathroom.   
Stepping out of the shower, I pulled something generic out to wear. A nice pair of jeans and a cute top to go with it. When I got out I saw Alfred bringing me some food.  
“Ah, you’re up. We’ll be going shopping soon, so be prepared.” He said, setting the tray down on the end table.  
“Why are we going shopping? I thought we were only leaving for a few days.” I said, confused.  
“Ahh. We’re on a shopping trip because we need outfits for tonight's masquerade. Bruce is hosting the dance and you’ll be accompanying him. Did he not tell you?” Alfred asked, and I shook my head.  
“Don’t worry about a thing, everything will be taken care of. I bet he thought you could use a break. Beside’s you’ve got nothing to worry about. These events can be fun.”  
It was a lie. I wasn’t having any fun at the masquerade. My dress was pretty, and the mask was breathtaking, but Bruce was busy. I spent most of the time sipping on a cocktail on the outskirts of the party listing to the live orchestra play wonderful tunes that I couldn’t dance to without a partner. I saw Bruce making his way over to me as the song ended.  
“Dance with me. I’m so sorry I’ve been busy, tonight should be about you.” He said, offering his hand. Placing my drink on the nearest caterer's tray I accepted.  
The band started playing Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the flowers. Bruce was an amazing dancer, and I was mediocre at best. But still, I got lost in his eyes as he lead me around the dance floor. We moved with the sways of the music, and time seemed nonexistent. I forgot all about Jerome, the attack last night, everything.   
I knew he did too, I could see it in his eyes. His smile, partially hidden by his mask, gave away everything. I hadn’t even realized I was smiling as well, and he pulled me just a bit closer. This made me astutely aware of his hand on my back, and my left hand intertwined with his. When the song ended, I pulled his hand behind me as I found a back room where we wouldn’t be bothered.  
As soon as we locked the storage closet behind us he tossed both our masks aside and pulled me in for a kiss. His kiss was sweet and genuinely serene, yet I could feel his sincerity behind the kiss. I ran into a desk, and slowly backed down onto it, Bruce on top of me, his hand went to my back. He broke off the kiss for a moment.  
“Only if you’re okay with it.” He said, his hand resting on the dress’s zipper.  
“Absolutely.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow Graphic Graphic and MORE GRAPHIC

For a few minutes, we just sat in the darkness. It had been fun, dodging responsibilities to do this, but now we had to get back. He put his suit back on and motioned for me to follow.  
“If we go out there together everybody will know what we just did. I’ll meet you out there in 8 minutes. Not an interval that will make anybody suspicious. If anybody asks, you had a business call you needed to answer.” I said, without getting up from the desk. He nodded, put on his mask, and snuck out the closet door.  
I straightened up my dress, quickly fixed my hair, and put on the mask as soon as the watch beeped. I stepped back out into the ballroom and locked eyes with Bruce. I smiled at him before somebody stepped in front of me. They offered their hand, and I obliged, flashing a quick apologetic look at Bruce, who had been swarmed with other girls.   
The man wore a full face mask and a nice tux. His hat was the only thing unnatural, but there were others who also decided to keep their hats on. I figured I shouldn’t judge, and instead focus on my dancing. The song was a medium pace, and the man wasn’t a horrible dancer.  
“I have a bomb planted in the room,” He whispered into my ear. I immediately recognized it as Jerome. I felt the panic wash over me, and I stepped on his toe. There were more urgent matters than dancing correctly.   
“Uh-oh. Looks like somebody wants me to blow this place sky high. Keep dancing, and act natural or I will.” He said, and I focused on my feet. He continued talking.  
“Funny story, I got here about an hour ago, and I saw you dancing with Wayne. I wasn’t going to cut in, because that's just rude. Also, you’d have recognized my voice. Anyways onto the funny part. After that dance was done, I couldn’t find you or Wayne for an hour.” Jerome’s grip tightened, and I knew what was coming up.  
“My dad called, there was some urgent business we had to deal with. You can ask Bruce.” I lied, and Jerome chuckled.  
“Well that is certainly some good news,” He said, before his tone darkened, “Because you are mine, and mine alone, so if anyone like Wayne ever screwed you… Well. Examples must be made.” I saw the serious flash behind his eyes. All I had to do was keep calm and keep dancing.  
“Why are you here Jerome?” I asked, maybe a little too eager to change the subject.  
“Oh, I was just here to apologize for Scarecrow the other evening. He was told not to ever spray you, and yet his dispersal system just happened to break. I thought I’d make it up to you, by giving you the option to save everyone here. I fully intended to blow this building up, but I suppose if you were to come with me, I wouldn’t. I’ve learned not to threaten your life because you obviously don’t value it as much as you should.” He said, and I slipped up and stepped on his foot again. He winced, and then shot me a quick glare.  
“I thought I told you to focus.” He chided, and I glared at him.  
“How the hell am I supposed to focus when you keep threatening everyone here simply to kidnap me,” I said, and he sighed.  
“You really need to smile more. Although you’re cute when you get mad, your smile is,” He paused, looking for a child-friendly word to say, “Breathtaking.”  
The song was reaching its end and he sighed.  
“Well, as much as I’d love to keep up the charade, we, well I suppose it could be just me leaving, but I’m leaving when the song ends. You can either take my arm after and get a drink before heading out or send me on my merry way.” He said, spinning me one last time.  
When the music stopped, I clapped along with everyone else in the room. Jerome offered his arm, and I took it hesitantly. We started moving through the crowd.  
“You know what Jerome, I would love something to drink,” I said, hoping I was loud enough for Bruce to hear, but not loud enough for Jerome to actually realize I was calling out for help. He lead us over to the bar, and I accepted a martini from the bartender, who flashed me a smile. Smiling back at him, jealous Jerome cut my appreciation short.  
“What the hell was that.” He said. I had the perfect reply all ready to go.  
“I’m acting naturally. Every single one of the ladies in this room would flash a fake smile at anyone wielding alcohol. The bartender would know something was up if I was upset at getting something to drink.” I said, taking a sip of the martini when I was done. It was way too dry.  
Jerome wasn’t happy with my response, but he knew it was a good reason so he dropped the topic immediately. My phone started ringing in my purse.  
I started to answer it when Jerome stopped me. He saw the caller ID read Jim Gordo.  
“If I don’t answer it will be suspicious. I have never let James go to voicemail.” I said, accepting the call.  
“Lucy, we have some… Unsettling news. There's been a prison break, and some of Arkham's most wanted have escaped. Including Jerome Valeska.” Jim said, and in a split second, I pulled together some shocked emotions.  
“What the hell James. You promised me he’d be locked up forever. You said I’d be safe.” We were outside the doors now, so I could raise my voice to help my acting. I had kind of realized by now Jerome was already out.  
“It happened early this morning. It’ll be on the front page of every newspaper for weeks. I’m sorry this happened-- What Harvey, I’m on the phone-- sorry.” He said. I knew I needed to be quick.  
“Does Bruce know?” I asked, and I knew I caught Jim off guard. Jerome couldn’t hear what was happening except for what I said and mentioning Bruce obviously upset him.  
“Bruce is--Harvey what do you mean Bruce is trying to contact me? I’m sorry I have another call--”  
“No!” I said, “You cannot just give me this information and hang up like you did with my mother!” Mentioning Mom was code for James to know I was in trouble.  
“Lucy, are you with Jerome right now?” Jim asked.  
“Why would I care about therapy? You promised Jerome wouldn’t be able to hurt me,” I said, trying to restrain myself from screaming, “And now he’s probably cooking up plans to kill Bruce.”  
“Harvey says Bruce is at the gala. Are you there?”   
“No I don’t need to calm down for a second, I thought you were done lying to me,” I said, making sure Jim knew I was going to a secondary location.  
“Alright, I doubt Jerome will let you keep your phone now that he knows you have it. Do you have anything traceable on you.”  
“No, No, No Jim. I can’t believe you. How do you go home every day when the sun sets? Huh? How do you live with yourself lying to me so many times about so many things?” I said, so he knew we were heading west. We’d been walking for two blocks now, and I could tell Jerome was getting impatient. Though he only let me keep talking because he didn’t know my code with James.  
“Alright heading west, there’s an officer on his way to you right now. He’s going to stop you to ask some questions about a fake burglary. I’m already on my way with Harvey. It should only be two minutes.” Jim said.  
“Go to hell James, and say hi to mom when you pass her in Heaven,” I said hanging up.  
“Well, I suppose the news is out about me,” Jerome said, and I nodded. I saw the officer approaching.  
“I think the officer is eying us,” I whispered to him. He looked at me.  
“It’s not a problem.” Without taking his eyes off me Jerome shot the officer. He started laughing, and I flinched at the scene. Jerome grabbed my face and locked eyes with me.  
“Smile, or at least laugh a little. You’re so much cuter when you smile at me.” He forced me to smile, before sighing. He realized I wasn’t particularly fond of smiling for him. I saw James running at us out of the corner of my eye.  
Jerome grabbed my wrist and turned the corner, quickly getting in what I assumed was his truck.  
“How the hell did Jimbo find us? Because I didn’t hear anything wrong with the conversation you two had.” He said once we were down the block. His driver was an inmate I recognized, but couldn’t name from memory.  
“Well Bruce was going to be my ride back, so he probably thought it was suspicious I just up and left him.” I lied.  
“Oh yes, that certainly explains how he knew what direction we were heading in.” Jerome knew something was up with that phone call. He definitely had me there. I couldn’t think of a response in time.  
“Oh, sweetheart… I feel like I should blow that building up now, regardless. But... I think it’d be more fun to watch you squirm while I contemplate your punishment.” He said, and I couldn’t help curling my hands into fists. He noticed and smiled at me.  
He covered my head with a bag, and I felt handcuffs lock around my wrists.  
“Can’t have you telling Gordo where I’m staying too.” He said, and I rolled my eyes out of spite. Jerome liked me, and as much as it’d kill me to pretend to like him back it could give me time to run away.  
“So when are you going to kill me?” I asked as if that were a casual conversation topic.  
“Sweetheart, I would never kill you, because then I can’t fix you. I promised you I’d fix you, plus,” He put his hand on my inner thigh, “You’re way more fun alive than dead.”  
I couldn’t help the shiver that ran down my spine. He chuckled. I felt the truck stop, and Jerome took off the bag. He got out and pulled me down too. Now might be my only chance.  
“It’s unfortunate,” I said, getting his attention, “That you still don’t know how to really kiss.”  
I pulled his tie, and met his lips, choking back the vomit. He was confused and I used this to my advantage. I brought my knee up as hard as I could and punched him in the nose when he recoiled. Sprinting away from the house I was stopped by Jervis Tetch.  
“Looks like somebody’s in a big heap, but now my dear it’s time for you to sleep.” Was all I heard before everything went black.  
Jerome woke me up. I was in a dark room lying on the ground. My right hand was handcuffed to what seemed like a small pipe. Jerome smiled when he saw me wake up.  
“Come on Sweetheart. Give me a smile.” He said, taking out a knife. I inhaled sharply at the sight of it but refused to give in to my fears. He brushed the blade along my lips, and I couldn’t help but shudder. But I refused to smile for him.  
“Well, that's unfortunate. Looks like you need to learn a lesson.” He sat on my stomach and forced my left arm down with one hand. I felt the blade before I saw him cut the inside of my forearm. I winced, but the pain left quickly. Then it started again.  
I felt the tears flow before I cried out in pain. It had been going on for too long. There were short bursts of pain, and then nothing.  
“Well well well… I finally got a reaction from you. I would have resorted to this sooner if I had known.” He said, before cutting into my arm again. Soon he stopped cutting, but the pain didn’t fade. In fact, I felt rather faint.  
“Blood loss… forgot about that. Well, I’ll see if anyone can stop that or something.” Jerome said, walking out the door. My vision started fading, I hardly felt the doctor try to stop the bleeding.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> specifically got a request to keep going so yeah  
> its a lil short but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> also it follows the story here more so it will be kinda vague but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

When I woke up I was handcuffed to a dining chair, at a table with all the famous criminals of Gotham. I was still in the dress from last night, so there was something to be thankful for. Jerome started his speech.  
“Oh my god. Legion of Horribles? That's the best you could come up with?” I said, laughing my ass off, “Why not Myriad of Misery, or Abhorrent Horde. Seriously, that was almost a joke.” Everyone else was silent as I laughed. When my laughter died out, I broke the arms of the chair easily. Grabbing a fork I started eating, the arm fragments still dangling from the handcuffs. Everyone else looked like I had killed someone.  
“After the stunts, you pulled yesterday you might want to shut up,” Jerome said, and I set my fork down.  
“Or what? You’ll kill me?” Everyone froze until Jerome burst out laughing.  
“See this, this is why I like you. Unafraid of me, even though I could kill you.” He said, waving his knife at me. I continued eating my meal.  
“So slit my throat you son of a bitch. Really, Jerome, you’ve already shown all your cards. You can’t kill me, you can’t threaten anyone here, and you can’t threaten Bruce because you’ve already got plans to kill him.” I said, “Really the only thing you do have is torture, and after last night I doubt you’ve got anything good up your sleeve.”  
“How would you know what I have up my sleeve.”  
“Because you’re predictable,” I said, he immediately stabbed me with a needle. His frown was the last thing I saw. Maybe he wasn’t incredibly predictable.  
I woke up on the floor because nobody cared enough to actually move me. And I think they assumed I’d be out for longer than I was because there wasn’t anybody actually present when I woke up.   
Stealing a car, hey I was still a teenager just an adult now too, I ran to the only place I felt safe. I might hate Jim, but he’s the only man I trusted completely.  
The GCPD was busy, and I saw the lights out in Jim's office. Nerves started growing, and pain shot from under my bandages. I didn’t know if there was a doctor anywhere but that was a problem for another time.  
“Jim Gordon, where is he?” I asked all the cops but nobody knew anything. Groaning I started pacing in front of his office. If I didn’t do anything, I’d have to focus on the traumas I went through the past few days, and maybe actually acknowledge that I was bleeding through my feeble bandages.  
When Jim came in I screamed at the man standing next to him. I didn’t even know I was screaming until Jim ran over to me.  
“Lucira, LUCY!” I stopped screaming and looked up at him through tearstained eyes.  
“It's not Jerome, it's his twin brother. Oh god, what has Jerome done this time? You’re okay now.” He said, sitting me down. I couldn’t breathe, and Jim grabbed my hand, “Lucy it's fine, you’ve had a rough time these past few days, just breath. You don’t have to be strong now, you’re fine.”  
I wrapped my good arm around him and cried into his shoulder. I couldn’t hear what he was saying to everybody else, and I didn’t care. I thought I’d run out of tears, but that never happened.  
“Lucira.” It was Bruce’s voice. I turned to him and immediately kissed him. Then I nuzzled my head in his neck as he wrapped his arms around me.  
“Lucira, you’re bleeding. Let's go down to the doctor, and see if we can get better bandages.” Bruce said softly.  
“No, I’m not leaving the GCPD until Jerome is caught,” I said, panicking. Bruce shushed me lightly.  
“I was talking about the MD in the morgue. You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.” Bruce said. When I nodded my head he slowly walked me down the GCPD. Sitting me down on the table Bruce ran off to find the doctor.  
I pulled the bloody bandages off and froze at what I saw on my arm.

MINE - JEROME V. <3

I felt all the emotions from the past few days come crashing back. I didn’t even notice Jim, Bruce and the doctor come in.  
“Jesus Christ.” One of them said, but I couldn’t tell who. Silence fell over all of us as my arm was rebandaged.  
“I’m sorry, but that's definitely going to scar. It will fade, but I can’t be sure how long that will take.” Was the only reassurance I got from the doctor. I had already run out of tears, but it was so horrible Bruce left the room. I could only imagine what was going through his head. Once Lucius was done rebadging I went into Jim's office fell asleep. I don’t know how much time passed, but soon Bruce woke me up.  
“Lucira, Jerome’s on T.V. and you need to see this.” He said, and I looked at the screen.  
Jerome blew up the police commissioners head. The crowd screamed, and some Arkham inmates laughed.  
“Bring me, my brother. Bring me, Wayne. Bring me Lucira. Bring them now.” he said, as the crowd reeled in terror from the bombing.  
He wasn’t done with me yet.


End file.
